Showa - the six-decade period of Emperor Horihito's reign, which began in 1926 and ended with his death in 1989 - accounts for fully half of Japan's modern history. It was a turbulent time of aggressive and catastrophic war, defeat and foreign occupation, domestic transformation and spectacular growth. The end of Showa provided and occasion for the Japanese to confront their past and the roots of their present success. The morally charged debate over the meaning of Showa is carried on in this volume by distinguished experts on Japan. In light of the history of Showa, they analyse the strengths of the Japanese economy, democracy and Japan's political culture, achievements in technology and the arts and relations with other Asian nations and with the United States.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The 16 Japanese and American scholars whose essays are collected here focus generally on three major lines of inquiry: Japan-U.S. relations during the 1926-1989 Hirohito era; Japan's path to war in the '30s and '40s; and the country's postwar achievement of "macroeconomic might." Regarding the war, the unsurprising consensus among the Japanese contributors revolves around the "system of irresponsibility" in which no one is held ultimately accountable for starting the war. As to the economic success, several contributors cite the benefits of Japan's integration into the global economy during the American occupation, the remarkable political stability of the Japanese government since 1955 and a "magic combination" of government policy, labor-management relations, aggressive entrepreneurship and hard work. Finally, the question of Japan's acceptance of responsibilities as a global economic superpower is addressed: Should Japan share some of its wealth with the Third World? Should Japan contribute significantly to the counterattack against environmental pollution? Conclusions are rarely drawn in these pages, but the debate is lively and informative. The essays originally appeared in Daedalus and simultaneously in the Japanese quarterly Asteion.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The Showa era, which constitutes the reign of the Emperor Hirohito (1926-89), is obviously one of the most important (and tumultuous) epochs in Japanese history. This collection of essays by a number of renowned experts in the field, both American and Japanese, provides a sampling of recent scholarship on the subject. (The essays were originally published in the Summer 1990 issue of Daedalus .) From the excellent overviews of the period offered by Gluck and Masataka Kosaka to more specific essays on such topics as World War II, the Occupation, postwar economic recovery, and the cultural life of the period, Showa makes a unique and interesting collection. Although the essays are academic in character, the range of topics covered and their overall level of treatment render them accessible to a general readership. Recommended for academic and larger public library Asian studies collections.
-Scott Wright, Univ. of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Scott Wright, Univ. of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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